The present invention relates, in general, to an electric machine.
Electric machines of a type involved here typically include a primary (normally the stator) and a secondary (normally the rotor or armature). Examples of electric machines include a linear motor or a torque motor. Oftentimes the position of the stator or the rotor has to be determined. For example, when determining the position of the primary in relation to a permanent-magnet-excited secondary, the provision of an encoder or a sensor is required. U.S. Pat. No. 5,091,665 describes the use of a Hall sensor for determining the position of the armature relative to the stator. This type of sensor is hereby a separate element of the primary.
It would be desirable and advantageous to provide an improved electric machine which is compact in structure and yet allows reliable determination of a position of a stator or a rotor.